The Invisible Man (2020): Movie Review

"The Invisible Man" starts off surprisingly well by playing around with its premise of an abusive husband and a mysterious death in an absorbing and captivating manner. The tense-filled first half was the kind of film we didn't expect it to be - which was good news. Unfortunately, once its secrets were unearthed, the film crumbles due to its narrative deficiencies.

Trapped in a violent and suffocating relationship with a wealthy and brilliant scientist, Cecilia Kass (Elisabeth Moss) successfully executes her escape plan and disappears into hiding. After a couple of weeks, her abusive ex (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) is found dead committing suicide while leaving her a portion of his vast fortune. At long last, Cecilia feels she is completely unburdened from his never-ending grip but soon after his death, a series of eerie coincidences makes Cecilia suspects his death was a hoax and he has found a way to become invisible. As things turn deadly quick, Cecilia’s sanity begins to unravel as she desperately tries to prove that she is being hunted by someone nobody can see - even herself.

We have to be completely honest. We had low expectations for "The Invisible Man" but unfortunately, we still found ourselves with mixed feelings after the credits rolled. On one hand, it had great horror - but mostly isolated in its first half. The way the film was able to squeeze out the tension in each scene was simply exquisite making each one full of tangible and palpable terror. The great camera work transported us right into the shoes of our main character Cecilia who is suffering heavy bouts of uncertainty and up and down mental health. It also helps that the feeling of not knowing was a fantastic source of terror on its own. Eventually, the film had to resolve its unknowns and this is where the film's quality dips hard. From a horror film, the film suddenly became more of an action film and loses its effective horror altogether. It doesn't help that the film's story and logic was a letdown providing lots of questionable decision-making from the characters. Elisabeth Moss was certainly the highlight of the film but everyone else in the cast just felt okay. Overall, "The Invisible Man" had a head start but failed to establish itself with a lackluster story and sudden shift in styles. While it will give you thrills, it eventually loses its focus as a horror film.  

Rating: 3 reels





Why you should watch it:
- the first half had exquisite use of camera work to bring out huge bouts of tension and terror

Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the film's lackluster story and narrative brings the whole film down with it